Alex Morgan's groundbreaking goodbye
Alex Morgan's groundbreaking goodbye
A reflection on how far we've come, and how far we have to go.
On Sunday night, 13 minutes into the NWSL game between the San Diego Wave and North Carolina Courage at Snapdragon Stadium, legendary forward Alex Morgan jogged to midfield, took off her cleats, and, with tears in her eyes as a crowd of 26,516 fans shouted her name and players from both teams surrounded her with applause, she waved goodbye and checked out of a soccer game for the final time in her storied career.
A day later, as I finish this newsletter, I still have goosebumps. Few individuals have meant more to women’s soccer, and women’s sports as a whole, than Morgan.
Her impact was incredibly visible in this moment, not just by the size of the crowd or the tears from her competitors or even the flood of congratulatory messages on social media, but by two logos on my television screen as I watched the scene unfold: The ESPN2 insignia and ticker at the bottom of the screen, and the CBS logo on the scoring widget.
On her way out the door, Morgan managed to change the game one last time.
This edition of Power Plays is sponsored by the Working Family Party’s “Basketball House,” which throws events that seek to build political power for the multiracial working class by creating community in our fandoms and making collective civic engagement convenient, accessible, and fun.
This Tuesday night in Philadelphia, they’re hosting a WNBA and Presidential Debate Watch Party (!!!), with the Lynx/Dream game starting at 7:30pm ET and the presidential debate at 9:00pm. Click here for more information and to RSVP.
A stunning collaboration from media partners
Morgan announced her retirement last Thursday afternoon, just over 72 hours before kickoff. In a video posted to her Instagram, Morgan told fans that Sunday night would be her final game for club or for country. She also announced that she’s pregnant with her second child, hence the abrupt mid-season farewell, and the sub out at the 13th minute.
As of Thursday afternoon, the game between the Courage and Wave was not scheduled to be nationally televised; it was only to be available on television locally in San Diego and online via NWSL+. This was frustrating for fans, but also understandable, given the last-minute nature of the decision. However, on Friday, the league announced that not only would the game be televised, it would actually be simulcast by all the league’s media partners, on CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, NWSL+, Prime Video, ESPN2 and ESPN+.
This marked the first time in history that a women’s sporting event was broadcast across multiple outlets simultaneously in the United States. That’s a massive deal, especially since it required every partner to act so quickly to make it happen.
“Alex Morgan has had an immeasurable impact on both the NWSL and the global soccer community - and she has inspired generations of players and fans around the world,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman. “Our partners coming together to celebrate Alex is an event that speaks volumes about the power of sports and female athletes to unite fans everywhere. Alex couldn’t be more deserving of this moment."
Women’s sports fans are used to excuses and inaction from broadcasters; now, there’s a new standard. The next time a historic moment in the WNBA or NWSL is scheduled to happen off of network television, on a stream inaccessible to the general public, there will be a blueprint for media partners to follow to rectify the situation.
The Alex Morgan effect
Of course, there is a lot to talk about when it comes to Morgan’s legacy. On the field, she was one of the best forwards our country has ever seen, with a 2011 WPS championship, 2012 Olympic gold medal, 2013 NWSL championship, 2015 Women’s World Cup championship, 2019 Women’s World Cup championship, 2020 Olympic bronze medal, 2023 NWSL shield, and 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup championship to her name. Off the field, she was one of the most marketable and recognizable faces in sports for almost 15 years.
She carried the weight of women’s soccer on her shoulders, and did so with style and integrity. She used the popularity bestowed upon her due to her talent, looks, and personality for good, leading the fight for equal pay and safe work conditions in women’s soccer, and advocating for the rights of marginalized communities, most recently transgender children and working mothers, in the real world.
It’s fitting that in her final act, she brought competing media entities together and showed that schedules can be changed and accommodations can be made to give important moments in women’s sports the audience they deserve.
There’s a new precedent. That’s the power of AM13.
Appreciating the progress
Women’s pro soccer has come a long way since since 2011, when Morgan was the No. 1 overall draft pick, not for the National Women’s Soccer League — that didn’t exist yet — but rather for its predecessor, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). She was drafted to the Western New York Flash, where she played alongside Marta and Christine Sinclair.
She scored her first professional goal for the Flash in their first home game of the season, in front of 2,164 fans in Rochester. The WPS shut down after that season because of financial troubles; some players were reportedly making about $200 a game.
Today, she leaves behind a league that’s not just stable, but booming. The NWSL is in its 12th season. The salary cap has jumped from $200,000 per team in 2013 to $2.75 million per team this season, and will grow to at least $5.1 million by 2030. The players union just secured one of the most progressive, player-friendly collective bargaining agreements in pro sports history. Morgan’s team, the Wave, sold at a $120 million valuation earlier this year; its SoCal rival, Angel City FC, just sold for $250 million.
Soccer is a team sport, and growth this extreme can never be ascribed directly to one person. But if you had to pick a person most responsible for the solid financial footing women’s professional soccer in the United States stands on today, it’d be foolish not to pick Morgan. She transcended the sport, and then brought it up to her level.
Bracing for the fights ahead
That doesn’t mean that the work is done, though. Morgan’s triumphant goodbye broadcast also shone a light on many problems that still exist in the NWSL, and with women’s sports as a whole.
First off, there was the putrid condition of the field at Snapdragon Stadium, which hosted a college football game for San Diego State University on Saturday night. The football lines and SDSU insignia were still visible when the Wave and Courage kicked off, and the turf itself was patchy and haggard. It looked unprofessional, to put it mildly, and was a glaring reminder that so many women’s sports teams don’t have their own stadiums, and don’t have priority in the ones where they play.
More problems were apparent on the sidelines, where Landon Donovan was serving as interim head coach. The Wave unceremoniously fired the beloved Casey Stoney, who had served as the club’s head coach since its inception in 2022, in late June after the Wave suffered a seven-game winless streak. Since Stoney’s ousting, the Wave are 0-1-5 through six games, including a 4-1 loss to the Courage on Sunday night. Donovan, notably, has no experience coaching in women’s football. Additionally, former Wave employees have accused president Jill Ellis of fostering a toxic work environment. In short, the league is doing well, but the Wave are in shambles.
And, while the broadcast of the game was a bright spot for the NWSL’s media partners on Sunday night, one of those partners, ESPN, quickly fell from grace. Last week, ESPN announced that it would be using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate recaps for NWSL and Premiere Lacrosse League matches, no journalists necessary. Well, it turns out that the recap of the Courage/Wave game by ESPN Generative AI Services did not even mention Morgan’s name. Sigh.
Still, there’s no doubt that we’re all better off thanks to Morgan’s career. And as she transitions into life as a mom of two and an investor of women’s sports, it’s up to the rest of us to make sure that we never stop demanding better for women’s soccer. It’s the best way to say thank you.
I was surprised at how emotional I got at Morgan's retirement announcement and during the game (the actual taking off of the cleats!). Made me question if I was a lesbian traitor because I don’t remember being this emotional over Rapinoe’s retirement. It must’ve been the combination of factors though: the sudden announcement, my sneaking suspicion that Stoney’s ouster and general Wavé shitshow made Morgan’s decision easier, and that an irreplaceable unicorn (a great athlete with mainstream appeal who does good work) is leaving the arena. Argh, getting emotional again now.